Motivation and Self-Esteem: Exploring Students Gender, Reasoning levels and Interest in Secondary School Chemistry

Abstract

Chemistry education is an engine room for economic, social and national development of any nation. Unfortunately, chemistry education in Nigeria has been plagued with mirage of problem such as poor teaching strategies, low self-esteem, poor achievement, low motivation and poor enrolment of girls, characterised by lose of interest. Some gender protagonists have established the existence of reasoning levels difference between females and males students with the males systematically and logical out-performing the girls. The purpose of this study was to determine how motivation and self-esteem as well as reasoning levels could influence secondary school girls' interest in chemistry. Four research questions guided the study. It was a correlation survey that involved 400 public coeducational secondary school girls' in Lagos State of Nigeria. Three research instruments were used in data collection. Data were analyzed using Pearson moment correlation coefficient, Analysis of Variance and multiple regression analysis The results showed a significant mean difference of reasoning levels; significant relationship among motivation, self-esteem and reasoning levels; significant composite contributions of motivation, self-esteem and reasoning levels and significant relative contributions of reasoning levels and self-esteem but motivation did not make any relative contribution in explaining secondary school girls' interest in chemistry. The study outlined numerous recommendations and concluded that appropriate learning opportunities could help in promoting girls' self-esteem and motivation in developing desired interest in chemistry across four levels of reasoning.

Application of Online Pedagogy to Enhance Undergraduates’ Learning Outcomes in Chemistry

“…Okafor (2021), further, explained that students enjoy classroom interactions that connect them to their imaginative world. Okafor and Yewande (2015) posited that motivation predicts reasoning levels, interest, and selfesteem of the learners. Okafor et al (2019) concluded that virtual learning contributes significantly to the performance of chemistry students during acid-base titrations.…”

“…The results have also shown that chemistry education undergraduates had better achievement and motivation than pure chemistry undergraduates. This entails that course types could determine students reasoning levels and achievement based on the modes of delivery (Okafor and Yewande 2015;Okafor, 2013a). However, no significant influence of course type on undergraduates' motivation could be attributable to test anxiety, negative perceptions, and inability to work independently.…”

“…Several efforts had been made by Science Teachers Association of Nigeria in providing solutions to students' poor learning outcomes in chemistry (Okafor, 2020). Unfortunately, the problem still persists due to poor teaching pedagogies, lack of motivation, poor reasoning level, and learning styles (Okafor, 2021(Okafor, , 2020(Okafor, , 2016aOkafor and Yewande, 2015). Poor students' achievement and motivation in chemistry are quite alarming and these require immediate attention to avoid production of inexperienced manpower in the teaching of chemistry and its related disciplines (Okafor, 2021(Okafor, , 2020.…”